Why We Must Retain Neil Lennon

To have done what he has against a team who are more expensively assembled than our entire squad (and we all know how big both squads are) and with a large number of deadwood within our squad who make little or no contribution to the team (Loovens for example who may play but offers nothing) is nothing short of remarkable.

Our opponents are not the skint little souls they are made out to be. The evil Llloyds bank allowed them a 8 million pound spend this summer (for the first time partly based on their income from 2 transfers not the get now pay later schemes they have operated under for decades).

Their Strikeforce is more expensive than ours (albeit Lafferty is a big walking, lumbering cretin)Their midfield is more experienced and cost more than ours.Their defence is the same – cost more than ours.Go player for player and do the Math.Only Scott Brown cost any money in the Celtic team of any note.

We bought cheap and have more value in our squad but the truth is their spending has enabled them to beat the SPL dross more effectively than our live within our means spending.

But it is only one season for Neil Lennon and to lose 5 games and some people want to give him stick simply doesn’t wash for me. He made mistakes by selecting Maloney and being too lightweight against the tractor boys who don’t play football, they are hoof and hope but this is Scotland and that is what works – but his hand was forced – Ledley is out and that caused the problem – that is why the wee waste of space was back in and make no mistake, that wee guy should be booted out of the club – another present from the Strachan regime – a waste of money on a guy who had one good season and whose real name is sicknote.

I said this last night and I’ll say it again. In cleaning up Mowbray’s mess, Lennon has shown that he can very quickly identify weak links and dispose of them from the team. WE are still paying for January 09 and the disaster of Mowbray. We have had no closure and we need this cup to give Neil and the team the springboard to the new season.

Neil’s job from here on in contains the following requirements:

1. Go until the last game with the team and see what happens2. WIN THAT BLOODY CUP AT ALL COSTS against another wee rat faced cheat whose team lay down and will not lie down next Sunday proving what we all knew and know – animal protection society in operation3. Remove ALL of the following players from the Squad

Cervi – never going to doZaluszka – time come and goneHinkel – for wages alone and he is off anywayCha – first half decent offerJ. Thompson – will never cut itLoovens – anywhere please GodHooiveld – Copenhagen willing to pay 1.5MMcGinn – some championship team – 500,000Maloney – tear his contract up – never fit long enough and too cowardlyRasmussen – some club in Denmark – 1.2MMurphy – 3 goals and little else – move on to somewhere in England 500,000 or lessSamaras – first decent offerKi – generate funds – 2M – get our money back

Now that’s 13 players and they need to go from the wage bill and from that they will generate decent money.

4. Retain Kayal at any cost unless a bid of 15 million comes in.

5. Retain Izzaguirre if possible, if not sell for a huge profit – remember he may only be a one season wonder.

6. Fix the defence and get a real keeper not a chicken like Forster (don’t go to Newcastle for keepers – that is daft). Also get height and pace into the defence.

7. 1 midfield play maker required.

8. 1 powerful striker who can head the ball and hold up play required with height.

9. Get us through Euro qualifiers for the Europa League (more likely than CL either way).

10. Do not quit.

Be under no illusions, Neil has done a great job cleaning up other people’s messes and has brought us closer than we were last season and for that, we must stick with him and see it through. He has made mistakes but he done more things right than wrong.

He is one of us, we are the same as he is. We all share his feelings for the club and we will be back. WE just can’t get enough and we know it. No matter how much we complain, we won’t leave the club we love alone for very long.

I’m not feeding anyone garbage here, just being realistic.

We have seen how Scottish football acts towards us – with extreme hostility and we are stronger for it.

We may not win the league but we can and I believe will win this cup and we need to for all our sakes. Come on Neil and come on Celtic.